In many applications, systems, components and devices have to be designed in view of partially contradicting goals and aspects. Among those are, for instance, technical feasibility, accuracy, reliability, efficiency, producibility and more economically oriented aspects including, for instance, production and/or operation costs. These and further aspects may have to be considered and balanced out when designing a specific device, a component for a larger system or a whole system.
Examples come from all fields of technology where, for instance, sensors are used to detect and monitor environmental parameters, operational parameters and other physical, chemical or biological quantities. The previously-mentioned goals and aspects are typically considered on all levels of designing a complex system. In other words, not only on the system-level, but also on a component- and device-based level, partially contradicting goals and aspects will have to be considered. Moreover, between the different levels, typically an interchange exists. The less effort on one level is spent, the more attention has to be typically paid to details on other levels.
For instance, in the component of a system comprising one or more devices, simplifying the properties and features of the device may lead to a more complicated implementation of the devices into the component.
In the field of sensor-related applications, it may be interesting to implement not just a single sensor device, but a plurality of sensor devices for different reasons, for instance, to enhance an accuracy of the measurement. However, to influence the previously-mentioned goals and aspects, simplifying a sensor device at least to some extent may appear to be a viable option. However, implementing such a sensor device may become more difficult and influence the previously-mentioned goals and aspects of the component itself or other parts thereof. For instance, the electrical connections to supply the individual sensor devices with electrical energy and to allow information carrying signals to be at least in one direction sent may become more difficult.